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Dallas Dog Bite Lawyer

Protect Your Rights After an Animal Attack

A dog bite can turn an ordinary day into a painful and stressful situation. Your Dallas dog bite lawyer with Goff Law, PLLC is here to help you take the next step. Your Dallas personal injury attorney will be involved throughout the process, we are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you were injured in a dog attack, contact us so we can learn more about what happened.

Dog Bite Cases Raise Important Questions About Responsibility and Control

When someone gets hurt by a dog, most people focus on the animal. However, from a legal perspective, the question is who allowed the situation to happen. These cases often involve property owners, landlords, tenants, or businesses that did not keep the space safe for others.

Situations Where Owners Are Not the Only Party at Fault

In shared housing, landlords and property managers can be responsible if they ignore complaints or allow a known risk to continue. That might mean ignoring reports about past behavior, failing to fix broken gates, or not warning other tenants. If the bite happened at a business or event, the organizer may have allowed conditions that put people at risk. It only takes one untrained staff member, someone ignoring leash rules, or a distracted host to create a dangerous moment.

Why Some People Underestimate the Risk Until It Is Too Late

People often say, “The dog never acted like this before.” That does not mean the bite was random or unavoidable. If someone let a dog run loose, failed to follow leash laws, or brought an animal into a crowded space, the harm may still have been preventable. We look at what decisions led to the attack and whether it could have been avoided with better awareness or action.

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Where Dog Bites Often Occur and Why It Matters for Your Case

The place where a dog bite happens can tell us a lot about who may be responsible. Some spaces are private, some are shared, and some belong to businesses that are supposed to take safety seriously. We look at visibility at the site, any posted warnings, and how the area was maintained to better understand whether the danger could have been avoided. Dog bites often happen in places like:

  • Apartment complexes
  • Public parks
  • Sidewalks
  • Pet-friendly businesses
  • Front porches
  • Unfenced backyards
  • Condo common areas
  • Daycare or home settings with children present

 

Where the attack occurred can influence whether the case involves property liability or another form of negligence. According to Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 75.002, when the injury happened on real property, including shared spaces or areas open to the public. We use this statute to help show how a property owner or manager may have failed to keep the location safe or failed to warn about known risks.

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How Dog Attacks Impact Children and Other Vulnerable People

Children, older adults, and people with mobility challenges are often at greater risk during a dog attack. Their injuries may be more serious, and the physical and emotional impact can last much longer. These cases call for special attention because of how much they can disrupt day-to-day life.

Children are more likely to be bitten in the face, neck, or head simply because of their height. They also tend to move quickly or get close to animals without realizing the potential danger. Bites in these areas often lead to surgery, visible scarring, and changes that affect how a child interacts with the world. We consider how the injury may affect daily routines, relationships, and social development in the years ahead.

Adults who already rely on others for care may face greater risks when bitten. If someone who has difficulty moving around is unexpectedly attacked, they are at risk for many injuries such as broken bones, head injuries, or neck, back, or spinal column injuries. A wound that might be manageable for someone else can take much longer to heal or lead to complications like infection or loss of mobility. Your Dallas premises liability lawyer with our firm works closely with medical providers to understand what kind of care will be needed in the weeks and months after the bite. If emergency responders failed to act quickly or missed something important, Texas Health and Safety Code § 773.008 may come into play. This statute outlines how trauma patients should be treated and when hospitals or EMS systems may be held responsible.

Some dogs have a known history of aggression, but that does not always stop owners from putting others at risk. Prior incidents can help show what was preventable and who ignored the warning signs. We look into records that are often overlooked to find the information that matters most. Common red flags may include:

  • Previous bite incidents
  • Animal control warnings
  • Leash law violations
  • Neighbor complaints
  • Muzzle orders
  • Property damage caused by the dog
  • Prior trespass or escape
  • Veterinary notes about aggressive behavior 

Owners do not always share this history, especially when they are trying to avoid responsibility. We know how to find records that support your claim and show the risk was not new. Under Texas Health and Safety Code § 822.042, certain actions must be taken when a dog is legally classified as dangerous, which can directly support your case if the owner failed to follow those rules.

Fault Is Often Disputed in Dog Bite Cases Even When the Injuries Are Clear

Dog bite cases tend to stir up strong opinions, especially when the facts are uncomfortable. Owners may try to downplay what happened, shift the blame, or argue that you did something to provoke the dog. We stay focused on the choices that led to the bite and the facts that back up your claim.

We often hear things like, “The gate was closed,” “They should not have been near the dog,” or “My dog was just playing.” These comments are designed to create doubt or minimize what happened. If you were following the rules and someone else ignored them, that can be of particular importance in your case. We focus on responsibility, not distraction.

Video footage, eyewitnesses, or even past 911 calls can offer a much clearer picture than what the owner describes. These details often confirm how the dog got loose, who saw the attack, or whether this had happened before. Our firm, Goff Law, PLLC, has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America for our work on complex and disputed injury cases. We use tools like this to support your claim and respond to arguments about shared fault. Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 33.001, your right to recover may still stand even if the other party tries to say you were partly at fault.

Get Answers From Your Dallas Dog Bite Lawyer